Region and Country
Saint Andrew District, Grenada
Story
Grenada is an island belonging to the Antilles approximately 200 km northeast of Venezuela. Cacao production was introduced to the island by the British in the eighteenth century and not long after, it became the hub of their cacao production.
Despite the extreme weather conditions and the passing of time, cacao is still grown on the island. Nowadays there are around 8,500 cacao farmers on the island who cultivate 2,500 hectares of land. Farms are on average 1 hectare and cacao is intercropped with nutmeg, cinnamon, bananas, citrus, soursop and breadfruit.
Our beans are sourced through the Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA), which is a farmer-owned organization that coordinates the needs of the farmers as well as the sales of their cacao, including quality control and export.
The GCA manages a nursery with Trinitarian genetics and three collection centers where the cocoa is fermented and dried centrally.
Harvest
April – November (main); December - March (mid)
Genetics
Grenada cacao is a mixture of Trinitario hybrids, Amazon Calabacillo and Venezuelan Criollo. It shares many characteristics with the rest of the Caribbean varieties
Post Harvesting Process
The beans are collected fresh and are centrally fermented and dried for seven days each by the Association. Wooden boxes are used with a capacity of 3,000 lbs. Temperature reaches a peak period of 50-52 degrees with 3 turns. The cocoa is sun dried on wooden trays and is turned every 30 minutes until the beans reach a moisture of 7%.
Flavour
The range of notes includes earthen flavours with coffee and woody notes, dairy, white fruit and grass.
